Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1887-08-11

/
with trustin woman. In the offise | met
a cupple of stray Amerikins and | stop
ped to talk a minnit-and only minnit
but it stretched out until we had d bev-
eridge, and then they sudjested walk
along the Champs Elizy, and l forgot
Mandy clean, smack and smooth. | told 'em
RELY did not have the time, and must be
hurrying back, but it was very enticing
among the shinin lites and big crowds Nv
people and musk and buty; so we set
down and had sevcrl short and long hauls.
The upshot uv which was that | didn't
cit home tell after midnite.
thought, perhaps, Mandy was tired
enhf to be asleep when | got in, but she
was wasn't. She was down in the offs,
and had been down about every fifteen
minnits sence | left and was then paying
her fourteenth visit when | arrived feelin
tollible frisky.
must draw the vale here. In the
words of Shakespeare'S Marquis of Tewks-
bury; 81 passed fearful night" |
done what could in self defense, for /
hadn't committed no fault except to fool
the deer woman a little on slippin out NV
her grip, but the result of that one brake
Nv mine was that we was at the depo next
mornn waitin for the fust train out of
town, ard Mandy was watchin me like
hawk. She got me into the keers early
and she didn't slack up on her eternal
vigilance tell we was fifty mile from Par
ris. Then the lovely pastors, the sweet
mornin air, the birds a-singin and the
sunshine a-shinm seemed to get into her
heart, and she told me eff would prom
ise not TO 90 out with the boys any more
she'd forgive me. Ipromist, and we went
on to Lions to spend the mite.
Lions, as its spelt, tho they pronounce
it Leeong, or somthin like it, is nifty neal
as bad on wimmen folks rs Paris is Oh
the opposite sex, and when Mandy began
to talk about the silks and velvits and all
that sorter thing, | reckin ] must have
felt like she did about me in Paris, for
Mandy wood as soon spend 5000 for
silk or velvit dress as I'd spend % cents
for cupple Of drinks, only I've had
good many more drinks than Mandy has
had silk dresses.
We staid there the next day, Mandy
Citing wuss al the time, and finerly |
had to resort to strategy, an | camly in
formed her that | had received letter
from the Amerikin Minister at Monarko
requesting me to meet him there on Sat
urday to discuss treaty stipulashuns Of
an important charackter.
"Where's Monarko?" she asked, when
| told her about II.
"It's down on the Mediterranean Sea
coast | says, "rite on this same railroad,
and we kin go there from here, stoppin in
Marsailes over night to rest"
"But / want a Lion silk here for my
self and / want to get you nice white
Marsailes vest when we git there" she
says, protestingly.
"But, my DEAR" says, "this is impor-
tant government business, and must be
attended to. You want the dress, / know,
and want the vest, but let us make n
sacrifs fer our country. | will give up
the vest, you give up the silk dress, and
let us obey the call that no patriot fears"
"Drat the patriots" she says very re-
bellious to me, with red spot just show
in on her nose "What am | going to
do in Monarko, or whatever you call it
while you are attending to the affairs of
state 2"
"Oh," | says, "there's 9 heap for you
to do there. Not more'n ten minutes walk
from Monarko is Monte Carlo where St.
Roulette is showed visitors in the famous
Casino Chapple. Thousands Of pilgrims
come there every year and there amt a
more interesting place in Europe. The
last mamie was New York Amerikin
that | seen from there told me that a
mishernary society was needed there, and
who knows, my dear, but that YOU may
be the one to start it, and as Saint Mandy
of Monte Carlo, be to religion what Jedge
Waxem of Wayback is to politics p
Well, this talk took place in Lions,
and this letter is wrote from Monaco. 1t
took a heap of coaxing, and / had to
spend s. for silk bumbersoll, but ! ac-
complisbed two things, namely, to-wit !:
| g&- Mandy out of that velvit-lined,
silk-fringed city and got her husband
into Monte Carlo. Tain't as big as Par
ris, mebbe, and the amoOsements amt so
diversified, but it runs every day in the
year, Sundays not excepted. and hoss
race or baseball game amt a patchin